Contemporary icons

Epiphany: Contemporary Iconographers in Britain (21 November–12 December) is the new exhibition at Wallspace showing the work of 15 contemporary, traditional iconographers who live and work in the UK, in what is believed to be the first exhibition of its kind. While there have been survey exhibitions of icons from other places in the world, such as Russia, Greece and the Balkans, there has never been an opportunity to get the work of the very best iconographers working in Britain together in one place.

Not all of the iconographers are UK-born, but they all work here. And while all the icons shown are contemporary, they are nonetheless produced in the traditional manner, using authentic ancient designs and methods. The exhibition is timely, given the current revival of interest in icons and their increasing appearance in cathedrals and parish churches across the country.

Epiphany will include works by some of the best current practitioners of traditional iconography including:

• Patricia Fostiropoulos, who studied with Russian iconographer Leonid Ouspensky now teaching iconography at the Orthodox Cathedral of the Divine Wisdom in central London.
• Aidan Hart, visiting tutor for The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and lecturer at the Cambridge University International Summer School.
• Dr Guillem Ramos-Poqui, founding member of the Association of Iconographers of Ireland, and a Patron of the Association of British Iconographers. He is the author of The Technique of Icon Painting.
• Dr Stéphane René is the foremost exponent of the Contemporary Coptic style, an associate of the Temenos Academy and also teaches at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.

The exhibition is open Monday - Friday 12-6, Thursday 12-7, Saturday 10-4. Admission is free. In addition there are two special events:

• Modern Mystery, 6 December 7-9.30pm: The Bishop of London, The Rt Revd Dr Richard Chartres, will chair a discussion with a distinguished panel. He'll be asking: 'Why are icons experiencing a revival in the West?' 'Is this influencing British churches’ approach to imagery, devotion and liturgy?' 'How does this distinctive visual tradition relate to contemporary art practice?' Refreshments will be served.
• Vespers, 29 November 6.30pm: A service of Vespers will be sung by Father Alexander Fostiropoulos, Orthodox Chaplain, King’s College London.

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